Sun keep Dream in the dark

Tamika Whitmore scored 27 points and Asjha Jones added 24 to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 98-72 victory over the Dream in Atlanta last night.

The Sun (18-10) have won five straight, matching their longest winning streak of the season. Connecticut remained perfect in all three meetings against the Dream (3-25) this season, beating them by an average of 22 points.

Kerri Gardin hit a 3-pointer, then followed that up with a layup after a steal to give the Sun a 44-26 lead in the second quarter. Connecticut took a 21-point lead on a 3-pointer by Amber Holt.

A 3-point play by Lindsay Whalen pushed the Sun ahead, 77-47, with 3:25 left in the third. Atlanta, which lost its sixth consecutive game, shot 36 percent and was 1 of 8 from beyond the arc during the quarter.

Jones, who averaged 18.3 points and shot 56.6 percent from the field over the last four games, was 8 of 9 from the free throw line. Gardin had 13 points and Holt scored 11, while Whalen had eight assists.

Betty Lennox led the Dream with 19 points, while reserve Katie Feenstra added 13. Erika DeSouza had 11 points for Atlanta, which has dropped eight of its last nine games.

Detroit clinched a playoff spot despite missing two key players as the result of the July 22 brawl with Los Angeles. Plenette Pierson served the third game of a four-game suspension, while All-Star Cheryl Ford is out for the season with a knee injury sustained during the fight.

The Shock traded for Taj McWilliams-Franklin during the Olympic break in an attempt to replace Ford's post presence, and she had 15 points in her Detroit debut.

Detroit lost its last four games before the break, while New York has lost two straight since going into the downtime on a three-game winning streak.

Sky 79, Mystics 75 - Jia Perkins scored 20 of her 28 points in the second half, and Sylvia Fowles had career highs with 20 points and 13 rebounds as Chicago beat host Washington.

Dominique Canty added 10 points for the Sky (10-17), who collected their second win in eight games all time against Washington.